With New Native OSVR Support, Sensics Brings the Epic Unreal Engine Experience to the Next Level

COLUMBIA, MD, March 15, 2016 – Sensics, the developer of groundbreaking virtual reality (VR) technologies and co-founder of OSVR, announced today a new collaboration with Epic to bring native OSVR support to the Unreal Engine 4.12, one of the world’s most popular game engines. This integration gives developers who are using Unreal the ability to instantly support hundreds of VR display, input and output devices.

“The exponential increase in the number of VR devices makes it difficult for developers and manufacturers to keep up. New HMDs, motion trackers, hand and finger sensors, eye trackers, body suits, motion platforms and more are coming to market every month,” said Yuval Boger, CEO of Sensics and co-founder of OSVR. “By providing native support for OSVR within the Unreal Engine, Unreal users will never have to worry again about keeping up with ever-changing APIs and new devices. Developers using Unreal can now leverage OSVR to easily build amazing VR experiences for hundreds of different devices.”

Architected and maintained by Sensics, the OSVR software platform connects applications and game engines to the many VR displays, along with the multitude of input and output devices by using a common universal interface. This means that developers don’t need to worry about the API particulars of any given device. The platform plugin also gives device manufactures all they need for their hardware to be able to support existing applications as well as any future applications. OSVR software runs on multiple operating systems including Windows, Android, Linux and OSX.

Native support for the Unreal engine also means that an increasing number of upcoming VR games and experiences will support OSVR, offering a wider range of content to VR enthusiasts and gamers owning OSVR-supported hardware such as the OSVR Hacker Development Kit.

“We’re excited to announce that OSVR will be natively integrated into Unreal Engine 4.12, based on the contributions of Sensics and the open-source community,” said Nick Whiting, lead VR engineer at Epic Games. “Its inclusion in the engine gives developers out-of-the-box access to many more types of VR devices that use the OSVR ecosystem, and helps ensure that Unreal Engine 4 remains the top choice for developing high-quality, cross-platform VR experiences.”

“OSVR is designed to accelerate innovation and ultimately provide developers a growing foundation of hardware and software technologies to leverage towards building great content and bringing the best possible VR experience to gamers everywhere,” said Chris Mitchell, OSVR lead at Razer, the co-founding company of OSVR. “By providing this native integration into Unreal, it is easier than ever to tap into the benefits of the OSVR software platform.”

To find out how to join OSVR and contribute to the future of VR, please visit: www.osvr.org.

About Sensics

Sensics provides technologies, products and expertise that brings companies’ VR dreams to life, offering them the missing pieces needed to develop groundbreaking solutions faster. Sensics delivers high-performance off-the-shelf products and also collaborates on customized “white label” designs, working with the most innovative technology partners in the world to develop VR experiences for gaming, healthcare, entertainment, training, education and more.

About OSVR

OSVR™ – Open Source Virtual Reality – is an ecosystem founded by Sensics and Razer towards creating the best possible game experience. The OSVR software platform, is a cross-platform middleware layer that connects applications and game engines to hundreds of VR display, input and output devices using a common universal interface. This thriving global ecosystem enables choice and innovation for those deploying VR for the most sophisticated applications to the simplest scenarios.

About Unreal Engine

Developed by Epic Games, the Unreal Engine brings high-fidelity experiences to PC, console, mobile, VR and the Web. Unreal Engine accelerates the creation of games, applications, visualizations and cinematic content. Download Unreal Engine for free at unrealengine.com, and follow @UnrealEngine for updates.